AN in-form Sturt defeated Port Adelaide by 32 points at Peter Motley Oval on Sunday afternoon.

Sturt held control for the majority of the game, placing pressure on the Magpies from the beginning and rarely relinquishing control.

Sturt continuously pushed their way into the Magpies’ defensive 50, which forced Port to work hard to keep Sturt to only three goals in the first quarter.

In turn, Brett Eddy and Aidyn Johnson kept Port within reach.

Eddy was superb for Port and easily the Magpies’ best afield – kicking six goals in another day out in attack to keep himself at the pointy end of the Ken Farmer Medal race.

Johnson was later sidelined with an injured AC joint, and will have scans on Monday.

A scrappy second quarter was played out through the midfield. It took Sturt until the nine-minute mark to push through and score the first goal for the quarter, before Eddy responded for Port with two more. 

That saw Port trailing by just three points at the main break.

But Port’s touch slipped in the back half, with Sturt’s ability to read the ball and control the play working in their favour.

The Double Blues were strong across their half back line in cutting off Port’s forward movement, and held contested marks on the wings to keep the ball moving towards their own forward 50.

Their dominance at stoppages was also clear – ending the game with 34 clearances to the Magpies’ 18.

Round 10 is a split round, affording Port Adelaide a free weekend to recharge ahead of its next clash against top-of-the-ladder Woodville-West Torrens at Woodville Oval on Saturday 1 July.

SCOREBOARD

PORT ADELAIDE              2.1        4.3        8.5        9.6         (60)
STURT                              3.2        4.6        10.6      14.8         (92)

Best
Eddy, Pittard

Goals
Eddy 6, White, Atley, Johnson

Injuries
Johnson (AC joint)

At Unley Oval

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